I am pretty open to all kinds of literature and Parade by Rachel Cusk was recently suggested by a book influencer I follow. Really interested to see if anyone else here read it. I was not a fan. I read some reviews to see if I missed anything, and several people seemed to have walked away with a similar position as I did. Really interested in seeing some other perspectives though.
On the other hand, Soldier Sailor which was also recommended by them was exceptional. It was an easy read, especially considering I had sandwiched it between two denser novels, but it was the most moving to me personally. I’d recommend it to anyone, even if they are not personally interested in having children.
I know we’re a small community, and it’s unlikely enough people have read either of the above since there’s so much out there, so please feel free to comment with your most recent reads that touch on feminism or women’s issues and what you thought about them. Or just comment with general book recommendations? If we can do female authors or female protagonists, or some kind of relationship to women that would be cool, but also open to whatever you wanna share.
I think I’ve already mentioned children of time here, but always happy to rerecommend it. It’s a book jam packed with commentary on sex, gender, and society.
Thank you for sharing! Back in my less radical but more rebellious days I really enjoyed reading radical feminist works. I didn’t agree with most of their takes, but it was exciting to see the way they viewed the world. Now I’m less able to stomach revolutionary texts that aren’t firmly rooted in better politics, even as just fun thought exercises. I still think they were important to me while forming my own beliefs, but I doubt revisiting them would serve much purpose. Nice to see that’s not a wholly unique experience.
2nd Wave White Middle Class Feminism was an institution that needed being torn down. Paglia attacked that edifice from one side, but that’s because intersectionality and 3rd Wave Feminism hadn’t caught on yet. I loved that Paglia was doing this, even though I disagreed with a lot of her specifics.
I think there’s some value even today in reading her attacks and reasoning. On the one side a lot of her savage critiques of feminism still ring true. On the other side, it’s good to have a smart and capable deliverer of bad ideas for countering practice. (It’s why Sexual Personae is still on my shelf.)
And hey, at least she’s not Naomi Wolfe.